Train drivers in England set to end strikes

LONDON: Train drivers in England on Thursday looked set to end a long-running pay dispute, paving the way for the new UK government´s plan to renationalise the country´s rail services.

The expected settlement follows two years of strikes across various sectors of the economy, with train drivers the latest to settle their claims.

The back-dated pay offer will see train drivers receive between 4.5 and five percent a year for the 2019-2024 period.

Train drivers union Aslef called it a “good offer” and general secretary Mick Whelan said the deal would be put to a vote of members with a recommendation to accept.

“We have achieved more in the last four weeks of a Labour government than we managed under a Tory government that set out to destroy us,” Whelan said.

The Conservatives -- voted out in July´s general election -- accused Prime Minister Keir Starmer´s Labour government of having “caved to the unions”.

Train drivers first walked out in July 2022 amid a growing cost of living crisis across the UK, followed by other groups including doctors, civil servants, ambulance staff, teachers and border staff.

Those who have ended their strike action recently include senior specialist doctors who settled in April, while junior doctors are currently considering an offer worth more than 22 percent on average over two years.